Indicating means for golf club cover and the like

ABSTRACT

An indicating device comprising a backing, a resilient annular retaining cover having a central opening affixed thereto and a removable thin transparent panel or disk held between the cover and the backing, the disk carrying a numeral or other indicia on the side adjacent the backing.

United States Patent Anderson Feb. 29, 1972 [54] INDICATING MEANS FORGOLF CLUB COVER AND THE LIKE [72] Inventor: Robert F. Anderson, 361313th St.,

. Menominee, Mich. 49858 [22] Filed: Nov. 3, 1969 [21] 'Appl. No.:873,206

[52] U.S.Cl ..40/10 [51] Int. Cl. ..G09T 3/18 [58] Field ot'Search..40/10, 159,108,129A

[56] References Cited 7 v UNITED STATES PATENTS Oda 1%59 Wishnia ..40/10Connell ..40/140 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell AssistantExaminer-Wenceslao J. Contreras Attorney-C. Kenneth Bjork [5 7] ABSTRACTAn indicating device comprising a backing, a resilient annular retainingcover having a central opening affixed thereto and a removable thintransparent panel or disk held between the cover and the backing, thedisk carrying a numeral or other indicia on the side adjacent thebacking.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented Feb. 29, 1972 3,645,022

JOHN DOE.

ANYWHERE US. A.

INVENTOR. Roerf E finds/son HGENT 1 INDICATING MEANS FOR GOLF CLUB COVERAND THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The general use of removableindicating devices for various covers and other articles has beenpracticed for some time. The following patents illustrate representativeexamples of such indicating means.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,936,460, issued to Jackson teaches a shadow box garmentstructure. In particular, this patent is directed to a garment includinga blouse and skirt wherein the blouse has a-perforation having aplurality of edges. Reinforcing members are attached to the insidesurface of the blouse around the perforation and adjacent the edges. Thereinforcing membershave a number of fastening devices, e.g., snaps,attached to the outer face of the reinforcing members around theperiphery of the perforation. A monogram piece which is larger inperiphery than the perforation has mating fasteners on its outwardlyfacing surface. The thickness provided by the reinforcing members andmating fastening devices inwardly offsets the outwardly facing surfaceof the monogram piece from the outer face of the blouse to cause ashadow box effect of the monogram piece on the blouse.

Whaley (U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,490) alleges an advertising sign= holder foruse on an automobile spare tire and having either a permanent orremovable sign. The holder is a face member in the form of an annulardisk supported by a stiffening member in the form of a metal ring, thisassembly being arranged for support over the exposed face of atire. Foruse with a removable sign such member is held to the face member byholding means provided along the marginal edge of the member. One suchmeans is an annular band fastened to the face member and stretchedbetween and held flat by stiffening rings around the periphery of theface member. This band also serves to frame the sign. The band hasopenings positioned to receive fasteners positioned along and secured tothe face member. These fasteners enable a portion of the band to beseparated from the face member thereby creating an opening through whicha sign can be inserted into or removed from the holder.

Cruver (U.S. Pat. No. 1,519,362) teaches a metal badge having a centralopening and a transparent celluloid sheet covering its face. Around theopening on the back side of the badge are flanged-tongued edges and athumb-notch or recess which hold a card. By its construction the edgesof the opening provide for changing of the card. The back of the badgealso has a fastening element, e.g., a pin assembly, for inserting thebadge through a button hole or into a pocket of a user.

Leicher (U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,409) is to a blouse having a cutawayportion defining a channeled frame usually of the same material as theblouse. A picture, monogram or the like can be fitted into the framedopening and held in place by snap fasteners, one part of which isfastened to the insert piece and the mating portions of which arefastened to the channeled frame of the opening.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,935,804, is to a Price Tag Holder. This holder ingeneral consists of an elongate body having an arcuate surface extendingthe length of this body. The bottom edge of the body is provided with agroove formed by an upwardly extending flange and the upper edge of thebody hasa bent over flange, i.e., a U-shaped bead, which forms a channelalong the length of the body. One or more pliable price tags are held bysliding these within the bottom groove and upper channel.

Wishnia (U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,236) is directed to a golf club head coverhaving a replaceable number or indicating means.

' In particular, the cover taught by Wishnia consists of a golf clubhead cover having a pocket on one side anda central opening in thepocket. The pocket is annular in shape and has an annular flexiblemarginal lip with a finger engaging bead at its inner periphery. Thispocket is attached at its outeredge to one side of the golf club headcover and has one part of a separable fastener element secured to thecover at the center of the opening. An indicating panel in the form of athin disk with indicia mounted on the front of the 'panelis removablypositioned in the pocket by means of a mating fastener element securedtothe back of the panel at its center. This is of a size such'that themarginal lip overlies a substantial portion of the panel when the panelis positioned in the pocket.

Each of these indicating devices has certain mechanical or assemblyconnectors, e.g., fasteners, which require close tolerance infabrication as well as may provide maintenance problems during use.Additionally, commonly the indicator itself in a number of instances isdirectly in contact with the elements.

"is a principal object of the present invention to provide an indicatingmarker which gives easy and ready change of the indicator itself.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an indicatingmeans which assures for securely holding in place a readily removableindicator disk without the use of snap fasteners or other mechanicalfrictionally engaging means.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide aninterchangeable indicating marker wherein the marker itself has itsmessage or indicating numeral or numerals protected from the elements.

It is also a particular advantage of the present invention to provide agolf club head cover having an improved indicating means which providesfor ready exchange of the indicating member.

These and other objects and advantages readily will become apparent fromthe detailed description presented hereinafter when read in conjunctionwith the figures of the drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of oneembodiment of the indicating device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the indicator taken along line2-2 of FIG. 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the indicating device of thepresent invention comprises a backing, a resilient cover having acentral opening affixed thereto and a flexible thin transparent panelremovably held between the cover and the backing, the panel having anumeral or other indicia on the side adjacent the backing.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIGS. 1-3 of thedrawing, one preferred embodiment of the indicating device of thepresent invention comprises a sheetlike backing l0 usually of a cloth,plastic, rubber, leather or the like. Conveniently, when the presentindicating means is used with a golf club head cover this backing 10:usually is of the same type of canvas, heavy duty cloth, leather,plastic or nylon as the golf club head cover itself. A circular, annularring planar retaining cover 12 is firmly attached to the backing member10. The cover 12 usually is stitched to the backing 10 by at least onerow of stitching 14 extending around the periphery of the cover 12 nearits outer edge 16. Alternatively, the cover 12 can be adhesively orotherwise bonded around its outer perimeter to the back member 10. Theedge 16 of cover 12 can be plain; for decorative purposes it can have adesign such as, for example, a sawtooth pattern as shown in the FIGURES.

The cover 12 usually is constructed from a resilient material such asleather, synthetic polymeric materials and the like.

This cover I2 is of a thin sheetlike material which normally lies flatagainst the backing 10, or a panel 18 when the latter is positionedbetween the cover 12 and backing 10, but which upon application of anoutward pressure at its inner edge 20,

A thin transparent panel 18 having an outer periphery larger than thatdefined by the inner edge 20 of cover 12 but smaller than the row ofstitches l4 and usually possessing a configuration substantially thesame as that defined by stitches 14 carries an indicia 22. This panel 18usually is of a size that it can readily be inserted between cover 12and backing but is large enough to assure that it does not slip out ofthe opening defined by inner edge 20 of cover 12 during use. Panel 18 isa relatively thin member which is distendable and flexible therebypermitting ready insertion and removal of panels having differentindicia 22, e.g., different numerals representing the numbers of golfwoods, from between the annular retaining cover ring 12 and backing 10.This panel 18 usually is fabricated from a synthetic polymer, celluloidor the like. The thickness of the panel 18 or its material ofconstruction are not critical except for maximum in sealing engagementbetween the backing l0 and cover 12, this panel 18 should not be of athickness so as to unduly distend these components. On the other hand,panel 18 should possess sufficient flexibility so as to not easilyfracture or split under multiple flexings and bendings as the panel isremoved or inserted into place in the device. Ordinarily the panel 18ranges in thickness from about 0.003 to about 0.020 inch.

The indicia 22 itself is painted, silk screened, inked, printed, formedfrom a separate material and stuck onto the panel 18 or otherwisefabricated onto this panel 18. The indicia 22 is positioned on panel 18on its underside, i.e., the side adjacent the backing 10. This meansthat the indicia 22 as applied to panel 18 is reversed; that is, it isthe mirror image from that actually viewed in the assembled unit.

For use with a golf club head cover 24, the backing l0 and cover 12 canbe sewed by stitches 14 or otherwise attached directly to the cover 24in the position where the club number ordinarily is placed on the cover24. If desired, in this application the wall 26 of cover 24 can serve asthe backing 10 and the cover ring 12 can be attached directly thereto.

A substantially circular or elliptical indicator has been found to beparticularly suitable and useful from the standpoint of ease offabrication, transfer of indicating panels 18 and general estheticbeauty. However, for some utilities such as identification marking onflight bags, bowling ball bags and other articles the design of thebacking 10, cover 12 and panel 18 can be of any of a variety of shapes.Several illustrative embodiments of other shaped indicating means of thepresent invention are shown in FIGS. 4-6. In these latter embodiments,the relative thicknesses of the component members and the means ofchanging the indicating panel 18 are the same as described fullyhereinbefore for the embodiment of indicating means illustrated by FIGS.1-3.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention illustratedin the drawing are not limiting and that embodiments other than thespecific constructions and designs shown and described are within thescope of the present invention as will be understood by one skilled inthe art.

I claim:

1. An indicating device which comprises in combination a sheetlikebacking, a planar resilient retaining cover defining a central opening,said cover being fastened to said backing around its periphery near itsouter edge, the inner edge of said cover defining said opening beingfreely movable away from said backing, a thin flexible transparent panelhaving a periphery larger than that defined by the inner edge of saidcover but being of a size and configuration such that said ganel wheninserted between said cover and said backing is eld therebetween but isreadily removable therefrom, an mdicia formed on the side of said paneladjacent said backing, said indicia being visible through the opening ofsaid cover.

2. The indicating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the cover andpanel are circular in configuration, said cover defining a ring.

3. The indicating device as defined in claim 2 wherein the backing is awall of a golf club head cover.

4. The indicating device as defined in claim 3 wherein the indicia is anumeral corresponding to that used to designate a golf club.

5. The indicating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the transparentpanel ranges in thickness from about 0.003 to about 0.020 inch.

1. An indicating device which comprises in combination a sheetlikebacking, a planar resilient retaining cover defining a central opening,said cover being fastened to said backing around its periphery near itsouter edge, the inner edge of said cover defining said opening beingfreely movable away from said backing, a thin flexible transparent panelhaving a periphery larger than that defined by the inner edge of saidcover but being of a size and configuration such that said panel wheninserted between said cover and said backing is held therebetween but isreadily removable therefrom, an indicia formed on the side of said paneladjacent said backing, said indicia being visible through the opening ofsaid cover.
 2. The indicating device as defined in claim 1 wherein thecover and panel are circular in configuration, said cover defining aring.
 3. The indicating device as defined in claim 2 wherein the backingis a wall of a golf club head cover.
 4. The indicating device as definedin claim 3 wherein the indicia is a numeral corresponding to that usedto designate a golf club.
 5. The indicating device as defined in claim 1wherein the transparent panel ranges in thickness from about 0.003 toabout 0.020 inch.